Rituals
by Djap
Summary: BETAD Neroon x Marcus Slash, my Valentine's present to you. Enjoy


**RITUALS**

**A BABYLON 5 FANFICTION**

**AUTHOR**: Djap

**PAIRING**: Anla'Shok Marcus Cole x Shai Alyt Neroon of the Star Riders

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own the boys and I won't make any money by using them. Promise.

**RATING**: PG13

**BETA**: Neenabluegirl – thank you for your help and your patience

**GENRE**: Established Relationship, Romance, Holiday, AU (as in my world both persons in question are still alive)

**LANGUAGE**: English

…

**Rituals**

**a Djap story**

…

_"We walk in the dark places no others will enter. We stand on the bridge and no one may pass. We live for the One, we die for the One."_

…

"We will reach our destination in two standard hours, Shai Alyt Neroon." Ver'neel left the rest of his thought unspoken, but the commander of the Ingata could hear the unspoken words anyway.

"I will not retire to my quarters to rest until he's with me again. I want to be on the bridge as soon as we reach Tuzanor."

Ver'neel sighed. He was the second in command of the Ingata and also Neroon's best friend. Usually he could always talk some sense into the younger warrior, but never when it concerned Neroon's life mate.

Sometimes Ver'neel still couldn't believe that Neroon had actually fallen for a human. Ver'neel had no problem with that, because he had quickly grown very fond of the Anla'Shok in question, but it still struck him as odd from time to time. Neroon had gone so long without finding the other part of his soul that his family had already decided to give his brother's heir the chance to become their next leader, since Neroon would not be able to sufficiently fulfill that duty anymore.

This choice had been a good one, not only because Neroon's niece was probably the most talented youth the Star Rider's born over the last century, but also because due to the gender of Neroon's mate he could bear no heir of his own.

They also had needed a long time to find to each other and they had nearly wasted too much of it before it was too late. Only Valen's intervention had saved their lives and had given both a chance at happiness. First Valen had appeared in the middle of the Minbari Civil War and helped to sort out Shakiris' madness. Then he had left a message for Neroon on how to find the builders of the device that the Anla'Shok Cole had used to save Shok'na Ivanova and thus managed to bring the man back to life. Things had proceeded quickly from there and only a month of the human cycle later, Neroon had met Marcus in a bonding ceremony on Tuzanor.

From then on Anla'Shok Cole had been trapped in two different worlds. He had to divide his time between his life for the N'Thil'Za Delenn and his duties at the side of his life-mate. Gratefully the time Anl'Shok Cole spent away from the Ingata seemed to shrink every time and the whole crew of the Ingata was looking forward to the day the former Anla'Shok Cole would become Marcus Cole of the Star Riders. It was only a matter of time, even when N'Thil'Za still needed Anla'Shok Cole now.

Ver'neel liked, as with most of the remaining crew, the way Anla'Shok Cole was changing their leader. He had stayed alone too long, had waited too long for his soulmate to appear. The waiting had made him grow cold and lonely and this was only gradually changing since Anla'Shok Cole had started walking beside Neroon.

Besides, even if Ver'neel would never admit it to anybody, it was also very cute to watch his friend grew all anxious for the return of his mate. He was being hyper and restless and as soon as he started loudly grinding his teeth, Ver'neel took pity on him and suggested a Denn'Bok fight to distract their Captain from the waiting.

…

Marcus was very happy when he finally could return to the Ingata. He still liked working on the White Star but by now it didn't matter to him anymore which Minbari he was serving with. By Warrior Caste Law he had, as mate of Neroon, the authorization to serve on board of his ship and fight at the side of his mate.

At first he had thought the other members of the Warrior Caste would dislike him serving on their most precious ship, but instead they had actually supported him in taking his rightful place. The transition had been very easy and thus he became the Ingata's tactical officer so fast, it made his head spin. There was only a handful of the crew that did not support him being there, but Marcus hoped they would accept him as soon as they became better acquainted with him.

Neroon had practically been glowing with happiness about his return (for a usually so impassive looking being, the Minbari was surprisingly easy to read once you knew him better) and was certainly already awaiting him in their quarters.

As soon as he reached his home, he was pulled into a bear-hug that left him breathless. After that things developed quite quickly and he did not get time to unpack his duffleback until much later the next morning.

…

"Why did you want me to return earlier than I was actually supposed to?"

Marcus asked the next morning, lying, still naked, in the warm embrace of his lover. They had only ten more minutes left before they had to start their day together. By now they had only little time left for their usual rituals before they were expected on the bridge for their duty, but after such a long time of absence they indulged in some extra time under the sheets.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I just missed you?"

Marcus seemed to consider that, but Neroon could him read well enough to know that he did not believe a word of what he said.

"No. There must be something else behind it."

Neroon humored him by appearing affronted by the suggestion, "Minbari do not lie."

"But they also do not tell the whole truth." Marcus shot back smirking. "So what is it, Shai Alyt Neroon, that you are not telling me?"

"You will see soon enough. Now let's start our day. Ver'neel will also be happy to see that you're back and we should soon make an appearance on the bridge."

Marcus nodded. He trusted his partner enough to tell him when the time was right and besides that he was also very eager to start their day together. Nothing else could leave him this centered and he still could not believe his luck. When he lost his family and the colony he went to the rangers because he thought there was nothing left for him anymore. He had been restless and featured a heavy death wish.

His life with Neroon had changed him completely though. He was not sure that he actually believed in IdMinbari himself, but he had always been a stranger amongst humans. He didn't feel like a stranger amongst the Minbari though. It was the place he had chosen to live in and sometimes he still couldn't believe how lucky and happy he was.

"Stop daydreaming, Marcus. Get in the shower." Neroon reminded him softly.

Marcus nodded, stretched and self-consciously made his way over to the bathroom. His attitude could be considered prudish, even by Minbari standards, but he knew it was silly to feel embarrassed to walk naked in front of his mate.

Under the shower he smiled as the real water hit his skin. This was no normal installation for any Minbari ship and the White Star Fleet only had sonic showers for the human Rangers. After Neroon had learned about this, in his eyes, odd human behavior to shower and wash he had his engineer install one in his quarters as a marriage present for Marcus.

Although Neroon still kept frowning on it sometimes, Marcus had actually managed once or twice to make the Minbari indulge with him under the hot spray. Neroon didn't like it very much but there was something he loved to do. This morning was no exception and Marcus smiled when he felt his mate's strong presence behind his back. A few seconds later Marcus felt very capable hands not only washing his hair (while managing to not even get wet himself with the exception of his hands) but also giving him the best head massage he's ever had.

As alien as the concept of bathing was to Neroon, he still had a childlike fascination for Marcus' hair and the young Irish loved him for that even more. Just for a moment Marcus wondered, if they should indulge in another round of lovemaking but then he sighed wistfully, because he knew there was no chance for that. Although they were married he had to become accustomed to the Minbari's strange attitude about privacy. If they both didn't appear soon on the bridge the crew would expect that something bad had happened to them. So they would not try to contact them first, but instead storm into their quarters unannounced to save them from any possible enemy. As nice it was to know about their loyalty, Marcus really didn't need that to happen while he was indulging in some strenuous activities with his husband. One Shon'fal ceremony had been embarrassing enough, thank you very much.

So instead, as soon as he was finished, he turned to his husband after drying his body with a towel and started assisting Neroon in his own morning ritual. The chemical compound that the Minbari use to strip away the outer layer of their epidermal tissue, was sadly not so good for the human skin. Marcus had to wear gloves to apply it on all places which Neroon could not reach properly, but he still loved to do this favor for his husband. The ritual was symbolic of them being reborn every day and Marcus appreciated the thought to live in the present instead of the past or the future.

The rituals didn't stop there though. When they were finished in the bathroom they helped each other into their respective uniforms. As mate of Neroon, Marcus now had the right to wear the warrior castes clothing, but he still clung to his Ranger uniform. It was much more comfortable anyway, but he didn't tell Neroon that.

Then they both made their way into the small kitchen area and while Marcus started brewing their preferred tea choice for mornings, Neroon busied himself with preparing the breakfast. Both did not enjoy the taste of Flarn too much, but it was traditional for Shai Alyts, so they endured it every morning as it was expected of them. That left the evening meal free for every whim they currently favored.

They ate breakfast in silence then attended to the small Minbari altar in the corner of their bedroom. One last kiss and they were gone to the bridge for their duties.

…

"What an awfully boring mission." Marcus moaned and Ver'neel actually chuckled. Trust Anla'Shok Cole to learn first the curse words in the warrior dialect. Neroon just shot him a disapproving look, as it was not Minbari custom to dwell on facts you couldn't change. Marcus just ignored his husband and instead started complaining to Ver'neel, who was standing directly beside him.

"Do you have any idea why I needed to come home earlier? My mala won't tell me…"

The twinkle in Ver'neel's eyes told Marcus that his husband's best friend knew exactly what he was up to but also that he would not tell him anything about it. Not that Marcus had expected him to, no Minbari would have done so, but he felt at ease enough to ask anyway. Sometimes the crew of the Ingata was even more accepting of his human quirks than the crew of the White Stars who dealt with humans on a daily basis.

"Anla'shok Cole, you won't expect me to exert insubordination against my commanding officer?"

"Of course not, Ver'neel. I am just not good at waiting for a surprise."

Not only Ver'neel chuckled at that but also Durlann from navigations. "That we know, Anla'shok Cole." She said and looked back. "Rest assured that we all are glad to have you back though."

…

"Finally." Marcus moaned and rubbed his hands with glee. He hated boring missions and this shift had been even more so, as he had been taut with anticipation of things to come.

"Where do we go now?" he asked his mala.

Neroon looked innocent and Marcus might have bought it if he didn't know the Minbari quite so intimately. Neroon was also glowing with anticipation, but was better at hiding it.

"To our quarters of course. We have rituals to attend to."

Marcus groaned loudly at that. "You can't be serious, right?"

The sadistic mirth that showed in Neroon's eyes was answer enough and Marcus rolled his eyes. He was not really annoyed though, as he actually loved to go through his rituals together with Neroon. Rituals gave him the security he needed in his life, the support to fight his own demons on a daily base. Doing them together with Neroon gave him even more than he could ever have wished for. He felt in synch with Neroon, as if their hearts were beating as one. Since he had lost everything to the shadows he had been lost, but with Neroon he felt sheltered and strong.

So he was actually looking forward to prepare their evening dinner together as the door to their quarters swooshed open. He certainly hadn't anticipated a full dinner to await them already.

"Neroon?" he asked baffled and watched as Neroon entered the room and taking his hand to pull him along.

All around there were red heart-shaped balloons and on the floor someone must have slaughtered a rosebush. On their dining table stood a mix of every human sweet Marcus could think of right now. There was ice cream, fruit, chocolate, marshmallow, cake and cookie and that was only the beginning.

"I…" Neroon finally had turned and tried to speak. If Marcus didn't know better he could have sworn his husband was actually blushing. "I… wish you a happy Valentine's Day, mala."

"Valentine's Day?" Marcus echoed baffled staring incredulous at Neroon. The Minbari grew even more insecure with that and this time Marcus was absolutely positive that his husband was doing the Minbari version of blushing.

"I hope I didn't misinterpret those texts I was reading on human culture…"

"Why did you read those?"

"Because…" and now the blush actually reached Neroon's crest "… I wanted to show you my appreciation."

"But you do that every day, Neroon. We are married now and I know that you are very fond of me. You know that I don't need you to go out of your way for…"

He was interrupted by Neroon who looked a little affronted at Marcus words. "But I wanted to. You live here with me, in my world. Some days it feels as if you are a Minbari and not a human and I thought that even if you are happy, you might miss your human customs too. Our days together are lived mostly in Minbari style and I wanted to offer you to adopt some human customs too."

"But why so suddenly, Neroon. You know how much I love you and how happy I am to live here with you in this fashion."

"Still I don't want you to tire of me. I know that I am often very old-fashioned, even for a Minbari, but…"

Now it was Marcus' turn to look sour and interrupt. "Minbari mate for life. You also know that you have been the only lover I ever took. How could you think I would ever tire of you, Neroon of the Star Riders?"

"So you do not wish to share your customs with me?" Neroon said and finally Marcus understood what was wrong.

They were two parts of the same soul. How could he have not seen this earlier? If he enjoyed doing their daily rituals together, so his mala would enjoy it too. Not to share human customs with him must look like he wanted to hold something back from their union.

"I never particularly enjoyed human rituals, so I didn't miss them and therefore did not think of sharing this part of my past with you. Please forgive me my thoughtlessness."

Marcus took some steps into Neroon's direction and chastely touched his lips to those of his mala.

"Let's remedy this situation right now and discover those customs together. Afterwards we can decide together which one we want to add to our own customs, alright?"

Neroon nodded and a weight seemed to have lifted from his shoulders.

"I will look forward to that." He returned the soft gesture with a kiss of his own and watched his mala take in the sight around him.

"Okay, let's do this right then. Happy Valentine to you too, Neroon of the Star Riders. How did you get hold of all this human food?"

"I actually had some help from Lennier and Captain Ivanova on Babylon 5."

Marcus chuckled. "That explains all these balloons. Susan is so happy that I stopped chasing after her that she would do everything to keep me at your side."

"Are they not required for this?"

"Not necessarily, but I actually like them. I think you did a great job with this, mala."

"Should we eat?"

"First I want my Valentine's Day present." Marcus pouted, curious as to what Neroon would have gotten him. A new training robe? A new Denn'bok perhaps?

"Technically you can't receive your present before tomorrow." Neroon said and sounded a little insecure about the procedure.

"How so?"

"We will both have a day off tomorrow to enjoy in our quarters."

Marcus boggled at him. "You never take a day off. It's not the way of the Warrior Caste to spend free time on their War Cruisers."

"But I have a human mala and it certainly is human custom."

"Really?"

"Is this a sufficient present?" Neroon asked still not sure how to gauge Marcus incredulous reaction. Due to that he barely had time to react as Marcus suddenly ambushed him and pushed him into the direction of their bedroom.

"What…" his question was cut off as Marcus hungrily kissed the living daylights out of him. He finally guessed his mala's intent as his crest was expertly and very erotically fondled.

"But should we not eat…?"

"We can eat later. We have tomorrow free after all. No shut up and make love to me. I will have to improvise on my Valentine's present to you, but I did some research on my own and was saving this for a special occasion. I've heard of this sexual practice of the Minbari when…"

The rest of that sentence was whispered directly into Neroon's ear. If his turned on reaction was anything to go by, he seemed pleased by the mentioned present.

As far as human customs went, he would make certain to celebrate this one every human year.

…

**Endless End**

**Happy Valentine's Day**

**Finished 13****th**** February 2011 **


End file.
